Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-07-01
Chenp Rood FOR Hogs.

| The average western hog is half
starved during the first half OF its exist
ence and stuffed during the remaining
half. An entire litter of pigs are al
lowed to suckle their dam as long as
she gives any milk. The supply grad
ually diminishes MS tho creatures in
crease in size and require more food.
1t generally happens that the stronger
drive or push away the weaker ones,
| and that they remain of diminished
size all their Ives After pigs are
| weaned the larger ones seek to monop-
olize the fecdng-trough, and are fro
quently successful in doing so, TIL
corn is ready TO harvest hogs ON most
| farms find it difficult to get enough to
eat, and after the corn is put IN crib
farmers find fault with their hogs be-
cause thoy do not eat enough Tho
gain OF most hogs in summer is very
small. At the time when mich COWS
are giving twenty quarts OF milk per
day, colus and sheep are growing rap
idly, and young cattle are showing a
steady gain of six pounds per week.
pigs on many farms are barely "hold-
ing their own. 1t is the time when
they should rapidly gain in weight
like other farm animals
/ the western states farmers put so
much reliance on corn for feeding hogs
that they often neglect to raise other
kinds of food for them. They May
know that an acre in common red or
mammoth clover will produce more
| hog food than an acre in corn, and
| they are certainly aware OF the fact
! that the animals will harvest the clover
If they are given the opportunity. But
the cost of fencing the hog pasture or
| the trouble OF cutting tho clover pre-
vents the pigs from having the food
they want, They are accordingly kept
on a short allowance Of food during
the time il is the most abundant. II
corn was not so abundant in the west
ern states, and WAS not so generally
relied upon for making pork, ii is like
ly that hogs would be better supplied
with food during The growing season.
In England and Germany, where no
corn is produced, and in Canada, where
but little is raised hogs gain faster
during warm weather than they do
here, for the reason that they are bet
ter supplied with proper food They
grow clover, peas, tares. roots, pota-
toes, mll-stutls, and oil.cakc That
keeping hogs on small rat.ons during
part of the year and then stulIing them
with dry corn produces injurious effects
on them is generally admitted. Still,
very little is done by most farmers to
avoid the evils complained Of Our
hogs receive very little attention dur
ing tho summer, chiefly because their
owners are too buslY engaged in rais-
ing corn to feed TO them after the cold
weather sets IN. In the meantime the
hogs are getting up \ good appetite by
n rigid course of fasting, and are pre-
pairing TO lay on fat and contract tho
cholera.
The cheapest way 10 keep hogs dur
| ing the summer is to provide pastures
seeded to clover, orchard, and blue
grass The hog bynaturc is a grazing
animal aud will not only sustain life,
but gain in weight if il has an oppor-
tunity to eat suitable forage crops. II
n farmer is not so situated that he can
enclose and seed land for pasturlng
his hogs, he can, at least fence in a
large yard and keep it supplied with
food that costs less than corn and is
better for the animals that eat ii.
Hogs will do well on green. tendeg
grass and clover cut and thrown into
their yards. Pea vines. fodder corn,
pumpkins, and squashes will also be-
readily eaten. Flax seed, il ground or
cooked, forms valuable food TO ba.
eaten in connection with green fodder.
An occasional feed of corn is good,
but very little will be required TO keep
hogs in growing condition if they are
well supplied with the cheaper articles
referred to. ~ thicago Times.